Kenway Corporation, working with Bancroft Contracting Group of South Paris, Maine, has designed, fabricated, and installed a replacement FRP intake system for raw seawater to cool a Maine power-generation plant. The system replaces an original cast-iron intake that had severely corroded with exposure to salt water.
FRP was chosen for its excellent resistance to corrosion and its adaptable fabrication capabilities. Many piping components in the original system were of non-standard takeout dimensions, which would have required extensive work to replace with steel. Kenway engineered the 100 psig, 180˚ Fahrenheit replacement system with piping ranging from 12″ to 24″ diameter to fit into the existing space without need for modification. Fiberglass was also selected for its smooth-surface finish, which resists fouling.
Kenway’s ability to fabricate custom components in its own plant and then simply hoist them into place on-site made installation quick and minimized the cost of lost production due to downtime.